Tag Archives: Kefir Soda

January 27, 2011 · 7:22 pm

Pickled Plans

I got the snow I was hoping for last night!

Sadly, by the morning I was wishing it was gone because my plan of yoga at the gym and coffee with girl-friends got interrupted.

I still had a great morning though.  It started by throwing together some pickled carrots.  I was inspired by this recipe I found in Bon Appetit a few days ago.  My dad always makes pickled carrots from his garden crop and I love them so I was excited to try a quick version.  The recipe called for lots of things that I didn’t have so I improvised a lot. 🙂

Ingredients were gathered

I even braved the snow to dig out some rosemary, the star ingredient in my dad’s recipe.

Carrot spears packed into pint jars with rosemary, oregano, chili flakes, and garlic cloves

The brine of water, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt was heated to dissolve the sweet and salty and poured into the jars

The jars got lids and set into the fridge.  Tomorrow they will be ready to eat and they will keep in the fridge for up to a week.  I am hoping for a super strong rosemary flavor!

I am so excited for all the interest in Kefir Soda!  There was so much interest that I decided to to a step-by-step guide to making it as well as answering some commonly asked questions.  It will be posted on Saturday.

After pickling and breakfast I bundled up for a walk in the snow and a rendezvous.

I spy…

You don’t see her?

Look closer.

Kath and I left our houses at the same time and met somewhere in the middle.

After crunching around in the snow and sunshine for about an hour we made our way back to her house for 60 minutes of Dave yoga love.  My painting and Pilates muscles are talking to me today so it was perfect to work through some tightness/fatigue with yoga.

Kath invited me to stay for lunch, and although I should know better than to ever turn down a meal at the KERF house, it was time to head home.  Tate and I are planning a Grand Opening at Core next month and there’s lots of work to be done!

Got any questions about Kefir Soda?  Send them my way so I can include them in Saturday’s post!

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January 26, 2011 · 4:54 pm

So Soda Crazy

“Rain, sleet, freezing rain, snow…”

Yep, still January!

I just got my butt kicked in Pilates Reformer class.  It was a new-to-me teacher and she was super tough, 2/3rds of the class was leg work! Ugh!  I love it though, I feel so amazing when I walk out of there, strong, lean, and flexible.

Someday I will teach Pilates Reformer and have access to Reformers all the time!

The training to teach Reformer is extensive and expensive so for now (well, once my gym membership is up next week) I will settle for teaching and doing Mat Pilates. 😦  (Which I also LOVE.)

It’s official.  I am obsessed with Water Kefir Soda.

One of the reasons I wanted to get to Ikea on Saturday was to pick up some bottles for my soda!

Vanilla on the left and grape on right.

Oh but wait, there’s more.

Yeah, it’s a little out of control.  For real.

That chunky stuff on the bottom right is ginger.  Mmmmmm homemade Ginger Ale.  I’ve also made Lemonade, Grape-Vanilla, and Coconut (yuck).

Wondering what’s the deal with this stuff?

It is a fermented soda made with Water Kefir Grains

These “grains” have the power to turn sugar water into a probiotic rich beverage.

Probiotics is a catchall term for thousands of live microorganisms that deliver a myriad of health benefits.  Basically it means that it is full of healthy, live bacteria that promotes gut health.  Maintaining a healthy belly is crucial to keeping your immune system healthy.

Why am I on a Kefir Soda kick?  Because it’s

  • all about the probiotics
  • rich in B1, B6, B12
  • an awesome source of right-rotating lactic acid, which is really important in cancer prevention and heart health
  • bubbly
  • low-sugar (the grains eat the sugar in the fermentation process)
  • delicious

And SO easy to make.  The only challenge, besides finding the space to store all of your soda :), is obtaining the grains.  I scored mine for free from a very random encounter but they can be bought online.  I’ve heard that the best source to buy them is at Cultures For Health.  They may seem a little expensive but they not only last forever, they multiply!

But really, does it taste good?

YES!

It is lightly sweet with a fine fizz, super tasty and refreshing.  The fermentation continues even after removing the grains so it gets less sweet, more fizzy, and a slight yeasty taste as time goes on.  The grape is the winner and coconut the loser but all of the flavors have turned out fantastic.

Time to paint!

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